


tangled webs we weave

by inkvoices



Series: Of Wax And Blood [4]
Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Community: be_compromised, Demon AU, Gen, Nick Fury is a lying liar who lies, Origin Story, SHIELD, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 18:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19256605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkvoices/pseuds/inkvoices
Summary: Rumours are spreading about Natasha and she needs a cover story. It’s possibly Clint’s fault.What a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive– Walter Scott





	tangled webs we weave

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to CloudAltas for beta reading :)

“I’m sure I have no idea what the Deputy Director is referring to,” Barton says, bland from his neatly combed hair to the toes of his recently cleaned, standard issue combat boots and currently at ease in Fury’s office. 

Hill stands behind him, an arm’s length away as if the distance will protect her from the temptation of physical violence and yet feet still automatically braced for a fight. 

Fury is hopefully maintaining a straight face, but he suspects he’s showing too much amusement at Barton pushing his luck and Hill’s growing urge to knock the fake-innocence out of him, although she’s too professional to ever succumb. He appreciates this little performance the pair of them are putting on, just so long as they don’t drag it out.

Meanwhile the demon in the room watches silently from where she stands near the door.

All in all it’s an entertaining interval between a budget review meeting and a meeting with Legal. Sometimes, contrary to popular belief, Hill is nice to him and gifts him these lovely little moments of personal personnel contact. Though she’s probably set this up also because she’s has been getting increasingly frustrated by having to deal with the ‘magic is real and so is Hell’ situation. It'll do her good to let off some steam in his direction over this latest incident. Plus he’s curious about their demonic employee and this is the first chance he’s had to meet her for himself.

They work in an intelligence agency; their meetings are allowed to have layers.

“Agent Barton knows exactly what I’m referring to,” Hill says. She rolls her eyes, but only because no one but Fury is in a position to be able to catch her at it.

“Perhaps,” Barton says, “the Deputy Director is therefore better placed to explain what – ”

“There were questions posed about my existence prior to SHIELD,” the demon says, cutting him off and slicing straight to the point.

Fury has read all of the reports on this particular new Agent, every single one, and speaking isn’t something she does often. Hill and Barton don’t look over or otherwise draw attention to it, but Fury gives her his full attention, and not just because first impressions matter and this is his to her.

“Agent Barton and myself,” she continues, “decided to divert attention away from the truth by suggesting our own possibility, which was no more far-fetched than those that had been suggested.”

“Thank you, Agent.”

Apparently getting Barton out of trouble, or at least standing in it next to him, is important enough for her to speak out. How nice of her; it practically gives him the warm fuzzies.

“And I’m sure the amusement factor had absolutely nothing to do with it,” says Hill, glaring at the back of Barton’s head while he smiles and spreads his hands out in a gesture of _who, me?_

She turns her annoyance on Fury.

“Sir, half of the new recruits now believe she’s a spy and an assassin recently defected from some kind of underground USSR remnant group.”

Fury leans back in his leather chair, watching the demon’s non-reaction from the corner of his eye and Barton’s smile morphing into something more sheepish and _kids these days_ in front of him. 

“And the other half?”

“Appear smart enough to at least pretend not to believe it,” she admits grudgingly. 

Actually, that’s better than Fury expected from the current batch. 

He mulls it over as he orders the two Agents outside and waits for the click of the soundproofed door closing behind them.

This is the point where Coulson would drop into Fury’s only, deliberately uncomfortable, visitor’s chair and fix him with his best _I know you too well_ expression. Sitwell would be cleaning his glasses with a sigh and looking hard done by. Hand would have already taken care of the issue, operating under the belief that it's better to ask forgiveness than permission and she rarely asks for permission.

Hill folds her arms and narrows her eyes.

“You’re actually thinking of letting this stand,” she says.

“Well, she does need a cover story and one that cuts close to reality. I’ve read the reports; I’m aware she can’t outright lie, just dissemble.”

“Which is the better technique anyway,” Hill says, “but a defected Russian spy? Aren’t we over the Cold War?”

“I was thinking from the Red Room,” he says, watching for her reaction. “A Black Widow.”

Hill blinks and a flash of fear crosses her face. Even she’s not immune to their notoriety it seems.

“That isn’t funny. Sir, if any of those women are still alive we’re in far more trouble than a Cold War.”

“And a demon isn’t as dangerous?”

The rumour of a Black Widow defecting could stir up fear and confusion in some interesting places, reports don’t imply so much as outright state she’s unlikely to let them pair her with anyone but Barton anyway so it doesn’t really matter what her other colleagues believe, and he does appreciate a well-crafted spy story. Plus if the Black Widow label doesn’t warn people she’s not to be messed with then on their own heads be it.

Hill sighs. “For the record, I think it’s a terrible idea.”

“Please, Deputy Director,” Fury says dryly, “tell me how you really feel.”

“That if I could shoot the rumour mill in this place, I would,” but she’s unfolding her arms and accepting the plan, which means beyond her gut response she has no real objections.

“I always liked the one where Coulson is a robot.”

“You would,” she says, allowing a little exasperation to colour her tone. “And the one where you lost your eye to the Winter Soldier?”

Fury smirks. Actually, he likes all of the eye rumours. And the one where he had a telepathic argument of mythic proportions with Charles Xavier that left them both bald.

“You said she's chosen a name?”

Hill nods. “Natasha.”

“Russian enough. We can add a bastardised Russian surname, make it look like she's embracing the American way.”

Hill raises an eyebrow and he just _knows_ the next thing out of her mouth is going to be something caustic about their government, who _fund SHIELD_ , that he’d have to reprimand her for even though she’ll be right, so he cuts her off with, “Just get it sorted.”

“Oh, no, this is one is all yours,” she says, pleasantly. “I’d hate to deprive you of the pleasure.” 

He does have ten minutes before the Head of Legal shows up and actually it is something he’d enjoy, and she knows it. Barton is going to have the realisation that he’ll have to become an expert on the Red Room just to keep up with his own lies and he can only guess how the demon – how Natasha is going to react.

“I’ll send them back in on my way out.”


End file.
